VHS to digital?

bothered

I asked this ages ago but didn't resolve it.
I have some VHS (PAL) tapes of the kids I'd like to get onto CDs. Last time I got an ATI TV Wonder that would 'see' the video signal but never show a picture, just multi coloured lines, like the tracking was a million miles out. I even bought a new VHS player but that didn't help.
How can I get these tapes to CD?

TheBaron

how are you connecting the vcr to the tv wonder? i have no problem connecting my vcr to my AIW if i use the composite inputs

bothered

I can't remember, it was about a year ago. I took took the TV wonder out, it's in a box somewhere. It's not an all in wonder, it's an ATI TV wonder, is that a differant thing?
I've got to leave for work now but I'll have another look at it when I get home.
Thanks.

TheBaron

its an independant thing, but i was under the impression that the hardware was essentially the same on the Tv Wonder and the All-In-Wonder. I have this monster purple cable with a component input box on one in, and everything is done through the ATI Multimedia Center. sound right?? it seems to me that this would be the easiest way to get it done, if you already have the hardware.

you're going to need to get the Ati Tv **something** Driver installed, else the video/audio doesn't work

MediaMan

The ATI TV Wonder is a decoder....not an encoder. You need to get the video into your system via an encoding card. Once in you can convert.

Canopus Procoder (Windows only) - After Effects (Windows/Mac) - Final Cut Pro (Mac)

These software methods use the field-blending method exclusively. The comments in 2 and 3 above apply to these programs.

Vegas Video (Windows Only)

Vegas Video deinterlaces PAL and uses a field-repeat method to convert to NTSC. However their deinterlacing method reduces vertical resolution by 50%.

Premiere (Windows/Mac) and many other Non-Linear Editors

Frame-based non-linear editors can be used to convert PAL to NTSC, however they use a frame-skip method which results in very bad motion judder.

DV FILM Atlantis says they are the best and it costs $145. http://www.dvfilm.com/atlantis/ordermaker.htm

There also may be help here http://www.doom9.org/ but it would seem that you'd have to encode a PAL DVD VOB file then do an intermediate step to convert to NTSC VOB then finally burn back out to DVD.

TheBaron

somehow it doesn't surprise me that mediaman had the answers... about media

Necropolis

MM,

Just out of curiosity, why would Bothered have to convert from Pal to NTSC? All UK TV's are PAL.

bothered

Necropolis_UK wrote:

MM,

Just out of curiosity, why would Bothered have to convert from Pal to NTSC? All UK TV's are PAL.

Me too.
I looked at Canopus Procoder, It's far too expensive. I only want to do a couple of discs worth. What hardware would I need?

MediaMan

Drugs....


I'm on drugs...really bad ones. Where in the hell did I get the conversion aspect to it? My god I'm out to lunch. It was an informative post though wasn't it?

Bothered,

The drugs are worn off now. You'll need an encoding card....Now I don't know if the ATI TV WONDER will digitize your VHS signal but let's start there. Theroretically it should. If you hook up the VHS deck to it then you shuld be able to press play on the VCR and record through the card. If the card does have a live record feature then you "should" be able to do it. The audio will most likely have to be fed via the RCA audio outs to the sound card inputs.

Hauppauge PVR-250/350 offers a higher end/more $$ solution. More specific would be the Canopus line.

http://www.canopus.us/US/products/ADVC_selection_guide/pm_advc_selection.asp

The ADVC100 seems the best bang for the buck as it supports analog plus DV. The advantage with these cards is hardware based encoding as opposed to the slower software.

Now if you want to take these files and make a DVD or VCD of them then you'll need the approporiate software. ULEAD has some choices and the above mentioned products do come bundled with some software I believe.

Is this a more accurate answer? Sorry about that drift into "MM doesn't read posts properly" land.

bothered

Cheers MM, I got the TV wonder as it sait on the box that you could plug a VHS player into it, so I did, then press play and search for channels. It found the player on channel 17 and stored it but whenever I tried to watch a video it was just the coloured lines as I explained earlier. I sent ATI half a dozen emails asking 'what next?' and didn't get a single reply. I gave up and took the card out. I'll have a look at the ones you mentioned. Thanks for the info, you can get back to the drugs now.

maxanon

Have you tried the multimedia center of ATI? Is there a format/driver setting (ie source format: NTSC/PAL?) that you didn't see? What resolution are you running?

Have you checked out this software out? The free trial limts to 10mins


http://www.cyberlink.com.tw/english/products/powervcr2/powervcr2.asp

Also, whould this article be of any help?http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_2/ati-aiw-9700-pro-6-2003.html

MediaMan

Bothered.

This driver may help you.

http://btwincap.sourceforge.net/

Note it does disable the ATI drivers and prevents them from loading. Many have had difficulties with the ATI software when it comes to dubbing.

This site may also help you for alternate drivers for you card. It's the codec/encoding chip of the ATI card that is the determing factor (the info you'll want to have handy).

http://www.tv-cards.com/drivers.php

bothered

Loads of info guys, thanks. I'm off work in a few days so I'll have time to dig the card out and have another go at it.
Great stuff.

CB

As a last resort, you could send it to me. I have access to the hardware at the cable station. I could make you some high quality MPGs, and send them back to you. I would just have to make sure that the one PAL VCR we have is still in working order... It's a bit dusty.